I’m still coming down from my wonderful Making Things Happen conference experience in Chapel Hill last week.

At the end of the conference, while we were enjoying sweet tea and biscuits (a perfect ending to a wonderful 2 days!), so many wonderful people came up with hugs and gratitude. All I can think of is saying thank you right back to all of them for helping me feel so comfortable to be honest and do the real work too.

There is something to be said for working two solid days on the heart of you – both personally and professionally. I can’t thank Lara, Emily and Gina enough for the invitation to join them.

I think we have a tendency to believe that those who host or speak at workshops have it all figured it out when really, we don’t have all the magic answers. We too are a work in progress each and every day and have our own sets of insecurities and big plans we still want to make happen. I came to discover some of my own struggles I’ve been keeping down deep and feel like I’ve gained some new clarity.

Half way through Day 1 I took a short walk outside to get some air and I literally asked God why I was there. What was my purpose? Why did he bring me here? I don’t think I have all the answers to that but I know that sharing my story and my business journey brings me great joy and satisfaction. I’d like to think a little piece of me left with each of the attendees to help fire them up in some way.

Looking back, I believe I drove home the idea to ‘own who you are’.

You can’t wait around waiting for someone else to give you permission to be what you want to be. You have to claim it.

It’s even a nice reminder to myself to really own the talents and life I was given…and to run with it.

I can’t wait to see what those 100+ men and women claim for themselves in the next 6 months! I’ll be cheering on everyone each step of the way!

On a final note, I’m also thankful for getting to know many of the wonderful women who are the other speakers and those who worked behind the scenes to help produce such an amazing conference. I’m reminded again how wonderful it can be when creatives get together to really rally around and support others. That’s exactly the way it should be.

Last night, we left the kiddo with the in-laws and raced to Cheesecake Factory for  a late-night dinner. As any festive gal would on her birthday, I ordered a half-split of champagne. It felt very glamourous. I toasted to a wonderful 32 years and blew the candle out on my pumpkin-pecan cheesecake.

Not so glamorous was how fast I inhaled that cheesecake.

Birthdays are a time of happiness, but also of reflection. I tend to over-think things and this week was like no other. Time spent wasted on thoughts and feelings and insecurities with growing older when they should have been spent more on gratitude and blessings. Thankfully, I have such a wonderful little tribe of friends who swoop in at just the right moment to say just the right things to make me feel whole again and my 32nd birthday was a sunshine filled day full of simple, pleasurable moments and time spent focusing on just me.

Did I mention how a mid-day facial and a hair blowout can work miracles, y’all? It’s so true. Everyone should be so selfish on their birthday! ;)

Now for the part where I get deep thinking…

Lately, this quote from the movie Michael has been coming to mind – “everyone is on their way to something else…”

I work in an industry of life’s celebrations…people are married, little babies are born, birthdays are celebrated. A constant stream of milestones big and small, fleeting moments in time before we are on our way to the next chapter.

Even during the simplest and normal of days, I find myself catching a moment with Colin or as a family and I feel like I’m in a movie. A little old-fashioned film-strip and I want to press pause and not forget how great the moment feels before we move to the next scene.

Which is why I love this Right Now Challenge Kristina has posted on her blog. Life’s little moments captured simply each week. Instagram has done a good job of capturing the moments and now I have a few more notes that will help preserve it even further. I’m going to do my best to keep up with it each week.

Right now…

1. Colin loves requesting eskimo kisses and is becoming even more loving (dare I jinx it by saying growing to be ‘mama’s boy’) each and every day. I’m basking in the warmth of it.

2. Thankful for mid-day lunch ichats and technology that brings long-distance friends closer to home.

3. The leaves are starting to change, the temperature has been perfect, and I love driving with my windows down.

4. I’m looking forward to (finally after years of wanting to) crafting a December Daily album this year to preserve our holiday memories. I pre-ordered the materials this week and I can’t wait to set aside some long overdue craft time.

5. Dahlias in the backyard have made one last appearance and they were bigger and more beautiful than in year’s past.

6. I finished cleaning up the garden and after many lessons learned my first year, already excited about possibilities for next. Looking to possibly planing a few fall vegetables as well in the next week.

7. Received this article from Sara. Every mama could relate to that one. Vowing to get in the picture more.

This week I had every intention of launching the Sweet Tea & Lemonade online store but as with all labor’s of love, this one is cooking a little longer to get everything perfect and even more fabulous than I had originally intended. I appreciate all your notes of support and excitement you’ve sent! I can’t wait to share it with you all very, very soon!

The tragedy in Colorado last week really spooked me in a way. Sad, senseless and beyond my comprehension of how lives could be cut short in such an everyday location.

When you become a mom, life suddenly gets a little bit shorter. You become more aware of your mortality in a way. You wonder when it will be your turn. You ask questions like, how will my family exist without me? All sorts of creepy thoughts about life and death enter your thinking space that never used to be there.

I came across three blog posts related to the shooting that really resonated with me. One of a young, twenty-something gal who narrowly missed another public shooting in Canada and who wrote about it a few months back, only to become a victim in Colorado. The second, a miracle and glimpse of God’s work at hand in this tragedy. Finally, the post of a mom and her unwavering faith that night.

What really hit home for me, on the last post she wrote how she was completely at peace with the possibility of dying because she had faith of where she was going.

For once in my life, I feel that same peace.

I love my family fiercely. Every moment of the last few months have been taken in more sweetly and savored than they have before. I don’t know if this is just apart of being in your 30′s, with it being more about living in the moment with your family and slowing down to enjoy life instead of all the 20-something selfishness, but something triggered in me this past year. I tell Colin I love him just about every possible chance I get. I sit and play and put the phone down more. Each day my husband leaves out the door for work, and we say our goodbye’s and love you’s and we mean it. We’re actively making changes in our everyday family lives to make each day count more. I’m pretty certain my friends and family know how much I care for each of them, how special they are, and how much I appreciate having them in my lives. My work right now is so fulfilling between my clients, my new friends made in this industry, and my work through AH Inspired.

ALL of this reminds me often of a blog post and quote I shared just a year ago…

I feel that than ever before. If God were take me today, tomorrow, next week, next year or decades from now…I know that I would be at peace. I gave my family, my love, and everything my ALL.

An incredible feeling friends. Thanks for allowing me to share it here with you.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my mornings lately have been rough.

My normal routine of early morning rising, followed by getting ready routine and daycare drop off, followed by gym power hour sessions that I know now really start my day off right and set me up for success….have all gone by the wayside. Waking up when my son wakes up is not a good plan. Feeling foggy and thinking coffee will cure it is not working. Dealing with 3 year old getting dressed, brushing teeth/potty training/brushing hair battles/breakfast choices, combined with my limited patience in this half-asleep/half-rushed state, doesn’t work well.

My workload is especially heavy this time of year. A lot of traveling and events all seemed to combine in to one big blur. I have a half dozen blog posts half-finished and I’m filled with guilt each time I don’t finish them. My mind is churning with so many ideas and dreams that need to get out, just as soon as one list gets done…or another to-do is marked off.

But PLEASE don’t think I’m unhappy with all of this.

I choose to feel blessed because my client roster is full. Full with clients I love and love my work back.

I choose to feel grateful that so many women traveled to Tampa and believed in hearing what I had to say.

I choose to be excited about all those ideas and dreams I have because I know whole-heartedly I have the potential to make them happen…in their own time.

I choose to be thankful to be able to travel to Engage to meet new friends, reconnect with some former, and spend time working on my business instead of in it.

I choose to be happy in knowing that I am NOT superwoman. And would love to shout from the roof-tops to all those who sometimes think I am:

No, really! Please don’t sit back and wonder how I do it all! Because frankly I don’t do it all. There’s even a few things I don’t do well. But every now and then I do something that is good. Maybe even great. Actually, even awesome. Something that matters. Something that makes a difference. Something that makes people smile. And I choose to appreciate those gifts and the talents that I’m able to share with you and others. This is an acknowledgement of “choice.” Of feeling blessed, grateful, thankful, excited and most of all, happy, then allows me to get back to living a life I really love with full intention. My head is then back in the game of choosing to make things happen.

Maybe you can relate to my morning experience, or can identify with the mile-long to-do list…but really, how do you choose to be today?

I’ve been meaning to start this post so many times in the last three weeks. I don’t like always writing on my blog that life is busy, but the fact is, it really, really is.

You could say that I stay pretty true to my “Libra” personality type. I tend to tip the scales in one way or the other with my life, and then pretty much lay low (hence they quiet blog!) until I figure a new equilibrium out. (and of course, start back all over again!) I plan to be back next week full-steam ahead, with lots of great things to share. In the mean time, a little update…

Our vacation to Emerald Bay was marvelous, but already seems like a distant memory. I’ll share some pictures next week with a full recap!

I had a great time traveling up to Maryland for a special photoshoot project I worked on with my new friend Cynthia Kain. It was my first time up to this area, what a gorgeous scenic place that I will need to get back to again soon!

This week I’m headed to Tampa/St. Pete, Florida. I am SO excited to meet all the ladies for AH Inspired. It’s going to be a fantastic two days! Nothing gets me more fired up then to help others with their business. Telling my story, sharing my knowledge and meeting these new friends only makes me want to come back and start working on new fantastic things ahead for AH this year!

Speaking of which, I came to the realization that we’re just about the half-way mark for 2012. The first half flew by, and it makes me only all the more eager to get things rolling on several projects I’ve had around for awhile…so they can be launched and a success in 2012 – NOT 2013! What do you have left to make happen in 2012? No time like today to get things started.

Here’s a little photo recap of the last several weeks via Instagram (you can follow me online here) that shows life right now:

 My backyard gardens are in bloom! – Our 3 year old is a full fledged little boy now – Working with lots of Fall brides now including some fun destination weddings – So excited to be headed to Engage! Las Vegas in just three weeks – Wrapping up lots of early summer weddings, including this adorable menu sign I hand wrote for a client – Mother’s Day was as sweet as ever with a handmade painting for me plus a new raised vegetable garden box from my husband that I’ve been asking for years for – and lastly a few glimpses from my travels to Maryland.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!